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Germinating Young Growers in Port Elgin

Feeding mealworms to Venus Flytraps was fascinating for G.C. Huston students Andre, Will and Tyra who attended the Young Growers program with their teacher Ms. Renee Gingras, April 19 at Saugeen District Secondary School.Frances Learment/Shoreline Beacon

Releasing 9,000 Ladybugs and feeding mealworms to Venus Flytraps were highlights for seven classes of Grades 1-2 and Learning Disabled students who were immersed in horticulture and plants with the Young Growers Saugeen Greenhouse project at Saugeen District Secondary School (SDSS) April 18, 19 and 20.

Led by Grade 11-12 members of Saugeen Greenhouse, the Young Growers program focused on fun for approximately 100 students who learned how to sow their own vegetables and annuals, transplant seedlings, care for plants and how Ladybugs will eat fungus gnats in the greenhouse.

“Not only is it really cool, but it's a lesson in pest control,” said Saugeen Greenhouse teacher Keith Day as he reminded the older students to divide the mealworms into small pieces – or let the younger students do it – so they were edible by a tray of Venus flytraps in the greenhouse.

As he welcomed 20 students from Hepworth School April 18, Day said the Young Growers outreach program continues to grow in popularity with younger and older students who enjoy getting into the dirt, planting things and then watching them grow.

To meet the demand, Day said they expanded the program to six classes from three schools this year with Grade 1-2 and Developmental Learning students from Hepworth, G.C. Huston and Tara schools.

Young Growers co-organizer, SDSS Grade 12 student Mackie Shular, said sharing nature and horticulture with younger students gives them a different way to learn in a new environment.

“We want the kids to have fun and learn. This gives them more of an outside perspective instead of sitting in the classroom or going to a museum,” Shular said april 18, adding she hoped some of this year's Young Growers would be part of the Saugeen Greenhouse program when they get to high school.

For G.C. Huston teacher Renee Gingras, returning to the program for a second year was exciting for the students who nurtured a grow cart of plants from last year's event, taking them home and planting some in their school's community garden.

“It is an opportunity for kids to eat the fresh vegetables that they grew,” Gingras said as G.C. Huston students attended the April 19 event.

“Something like this sparks an interest with kids who may not do much gardening and they develop a love of gardening with their families. This fall we ate a bunch of stuff that we harvested ...Gingras said, adding the Young Growers program fits right in with the Grade 1 curriculum that includes an introduction to plants and living things.

The participating classes took the seedlings and cuttings they planted and transplanted back to their classrooms to nurture on grow carts donated by Mowbray Canadian Tire in Port Elgin.